It's just the way it goes.
Since my webhost started having problems and lost data, I've been a bit quiet, I know . The webhost seems to be stable now but there are other things afoot now that are taking my time. All of it stressful and all of it family. I'm not going to go into great detail in public but the short summary is:
1. Dad's business is seriously stressing everyone at home. They could end up going bankrupt and losing both stores/owing millions. Dad's trying to be optimistic but mom and sis have a very different (and gloomy) story to tell.
2. Mom keeps ignoring her medical problems, the uber-queen of denial. So five days after she can't move without getting extremely short of breath, she finally went to the doctor and - surprise! - she has pneumonia. This, of course, added to the stress of dad & sis who have to try to keep the business going. Thank goodness there was a close family friend to check up mom to make sure she didn't have to be rushed to the hospital.
3. Last week, we found out for certain that sweetie's dad has to have triple bypass and a heart valve replacement in a few weeks. We knew he would have to eventually have the replacement (my dad had the same surgery about 10 years ago) but the bypass thing is new. He's got a fairly rare blood disorder, though, so they have to make sure his blood is in top shape before any surgery (my brother has the same disorder, basically like a hemophiliac without actually having hemophilia).
4. And now, to top it all off like the cherry on the sundae, my sister called to tell me that our family friend (the one mentioned in #2 who checked in on my mom all week) was found dead of a suspected heart attack yesterday. I can't believe this happened. She and her husband (they now live in MS but she was back at home taking care of her father with alzheimers since her mother died 6 months ago) were/are pretty much family. We grew up playing with their sons, in their house, they lived right across the street. It's really really heartachingly sad when you hear the whole story of their family (both sons are also dead).
It's so much sadness and too much stress. Argh.